Am I too competitive?

I know it's been a while since my last blog.  I apologize.  As a grad student, full-time federal employee, husband and father, it's often difficult to make time for my diatribes.  That's no excuse though.  I'm going to try to do better.  Now, with all of the mushy bullshit out of the way, let's jump into the meat and potatoes.

My first half-marathon is done and over.  It was a good experience.  I had a good training session.  The course was great.  The weather was great.  The expo was good (not great, but good).  I love Baltimore and I love the Ravens.  It's not always the best thing to admit that being married to a woman whose parents are die-hard Browns fans, but I digress.  Running to and from M&T Bank Stadium through "Charm City" is a magnificent experience.  Especially, if you have the opportunity to top it off with one of their incredible pit beef sandwiches. 

I even ran a really good race.  I finished in 1:41:58. That's a 7:47 pace for the mathematically challenged.  So, why do I feel like it wasn't enough?  I don't know.  I tell people all the time to run their own race.  I tell people the only person they're racing against is themself.  I mean, I acomplished every single one of my goals for this race.  Finish? Check.  Finish in less than 2 hours? Check.  Finish in less than 1:45:00?  Check.  Why wasn't it enough?

There are a few things I can think of.  #1 There were several times where I was boxed in and I knew I could have been running faster.  #2 I felt awesome at the end of the race.  Really, I felt like I could have run that past for a few more miles.  #3 I changed my goal mid race because I knew how well I was doing and how I felt.  I really thought I could finish in less than 1:40:00.  #4  I was so close.

I think the last one just really stings the most.  I was close.  How close?  9 seconds per mile.  When I see that my average mile was a 7:47, but I had two miles that were close to 8:00 that kills me.  What makes it even worse for me is those 2:00 minutes are what separates me from being considered an "elite" runner at the local level.  Yes, it's just the local level, I get that, but for me it's something.  I don't know what that something is, but it's like I have this burning desire to accomplish something.  I don't know what it is or what I want.  Maybe I've watched the video of Steve Prefontaine in the 5000m at the 72 Olympics one too many times. 

Courtesy of jdaikoku

Hell, maybe I've just watched the Prefontaine movies one too many times period.  I don't want people to get the wrong idea about me.  I'm not trying to sound conceited or anything like that.  Maybe this is a normal feeling for runners.  Although, part of me feels like I want this, I don't know if I want to put in the work for it.  I don't know if I'm willing to push through the hurt.  Am I capable of running faster?  Yeah.  I am.  A lot faster.  I've run sub 7:30 miles for as much as a 10k.  Hell, I've even done a 5K at a sub 7:00.  The question is, am I willing to accept that pain over a longer period.  Am I willing to grind it out to get that extra little bit. 

My wife and I had this very conversation over a year ago.  I told her I'm not willing to sacrifice comfort in order to finish a few minutes faster.  Now, I'm not so sure.  I think I have some decisions to make over the next few weeks and I think need to take some time and maybe let running become fun again. 

A Jittery Workout and a Good Run

It's been awhile since I last blogged and I've got a few things rolling around my dome.  This thing is probably going to be all over the place today, but hopefully you guys will get some good out of it.  Got some diet stuff, got some run stuff, injury updates and tons more.  Without further delay, let's get on with the show.

As part of my goody bag for Spartan Race, I got a sample of Gaspari Nutrition's Super Pump Max pre-workout supplement.  I wanted to wait until I had gone up in weight a little bit and use it on a training day where I thought I would notice the biggest difference.  I wanted to see if I would get any noticeable bump in strength or performance.  I knew my current weight was starting to feel light on chest/back day and I knew that I would benefit from a nice strength bump after jacking up the weight.

First things first, the flavor said something like Grandaddy's Sour Apple.  What it should have said was, Grandaddy's Sour Asshole.  Goodness, this thing tasted awful.  I downed the whole packet 30 minutes prior to my workout.  Within 20 minutes, I felt an incredible caffeine rush.  I felt like I could run through a brick wall.  I was all like "WOW!  I'm going to kick some ass!"  Yeah, not so fast there tiger.

Maybe the crossfitters love to get hopped up on caffeine and do their fish flopping pull-ups, (I mean really, who came up with that shit?  Eh, but I digress.) but that stuff is not for me.  Don't get me wrong, I can kind of understand why the crossfitters want to get hopped up on caffeine like that.  After I would get a rep in, I automatically felt like I needed almost no recovery time before going right back at it.  That's perfect for crossfit. 

As for actual performance, it was a bit of a mixed bag.  As I said, I felt like I could get back to the exercises quicker, but I felt stronger on some exercises and weaker on others.  Perhaps, it was because I wasn't completely going through my rest phases, I'm not sure.  Another thing I noticed was  I was constantly jittery and it never felt like I was slowing down.  I got a nice pump from the arginine in it, but I've been off of creatine for a few weeks so I didn't really get any benefit from that.  At 38.99 for a tub with 40 scoops and each serving being 1-2 scoops (you really need to use 2 scoops to get a full 5 grams of creatine)  I would say this is definitely a pass.

For a quick injury update, I'm still working through my lower back injury.  I'm feeling a little better every week.  It's still difficult to bend over and do certain exercise, but I feel like I'm starting to heal.  There was significantly less pain when I did my pullovers today, which has been agonizing since I first hurt myself.  I will likely schedule a doctor's appointment if I'm not healed before the end of my next two races.

Which brings me to my training for the Baltimore Half-Marathon.  Training has been going great, I am actually simultaneously training for Baltimore and Rogue Runner.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've incorporated trail running into my running routine to help better prepare me for Rogue Runner.  I have to say, I'm hooked.  I did 8 miles today with about half being offroad.  I just went out there and got lost today.  I'm really excited because I found a new access route to the trails which is much closer to where I live.  Now I won't have to run two miles before I can start running offroad. 

Today was one of those perfect runs that makes you remember what attracted you to the sport in the first place.  The weather was perfect with just a slight breeze.  I kept a quick pace, but I didn't go out and kill myself.  The goal today was to maintain a good pace on the trails that would allow me to do obstacles and get right back to my normal pace.  It was just a really good run.

For Baltimore,  I do a distance run every Saturday morning.  This past Saturday,  I did 12 miles for the first time in over a year and only the 2nd time in my life.  I really want to know how I'm going to feel once I hit that 13 mile mark on the 20th.  I don't want to leave anything to chance.  I've upped my total miles again this week and I intend to run 14 miles this Saturday.  I'm a little nervous about this.

This Saturday's run wasn't exactly without its difficulties.  For whatever reason, ten miles seems to be the limit of my comfort zone.  I can usually do 10 miles without any type of hydration, keeping a solid pace and without any real discomfort.  Knowing my limitations, I knew I was going to need some water for this run, so I brought my Camelbak with me. 

I like the Camelbak, I think it's a fantastic piece of gear.  It's functional and it's not particularly intrusive.  However, it definitely slows me down.  I start to feel the extra weight as I get farther into my runs.  It's almost like the effect multiplies the farther I go.  For example, I almost never sweat until I get into my 2nd mile.  With the Camelbak, I'm sweating before I even finish the first mile.  It's not something I'm going to have to worry about on race day, but it also doesn't allow me emulate the race experience completely. 

I think this is why I started to really wear out after mile 10 on this past Saturday's run.  I was keeping a solid pace until then, but I really slowed down after that.  My legs got extremely tired and heavy.  They felt like jello and like I was running in water.  It was a lot like this.  I haven't really experimented too much with goo or anything like that, but I think I'm going to need to do that this weekend if I expect to grind out an extra two miles.  I bought some Gatorade energy chews and I'm looking forward to trying those out.  I might be being hard on myself, but this is the only way I'm going to be able to accomplish my long term goal. 

Well, it's been a pretty big update this week.  I'm going to try and update a little bit more frequently. Maybe I'll knock something out this weekend and discuss how I'm modifying my taper this time around for Baltimore and Rogue Runner.  Until then, as always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

Pushing Your Boundaries

Alfred Pennyworth: Know your limits, Master Wayne.
Bruce Wayne: Batman has no limits.
Alfred Pennyworth: Well, you do, sir.
Bruce Wayne: Well, can't afford to know 'em.
Alfred Pennyworth: And what happens on the day that you find out?
Bruce Wayne: Well, we all know how much you love to say "I told you so."
Alfred Pennyworth: On that day, Master Wayne, even I won't want to. Probably.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan of Batman.  I'm not one of these Johnny Come-lately Batman fans either, you know the ones that love Batman because "teh Lejur Joker wuz AWSUM!!!1!"  Not only do I love Batman, but the above quote is particularly relevant to today's topic.  I was in the gym earlier this week and I decided that I was going to find out how strong I am and answer a burning question that my wife has been asking for the past few weeks all in one fell swoop.

I was doing my normal leg workout and went into my deadlifts.  I was going to keep adding weight and reducing the repetitions until I could not lift anymore weight.  On the last attempt, I got the weight off the ground and got about halfway through the repetition before I decided I needed to back off and give it another shot.  I dropped the weight and felt a little dizzy, but I was determined to get that weight off the floor.

I came back to the lift and settled into my starting position.  I rolled the bar toward my shins, took a few deep breaths and exploded up, knowing that weight was coming with me.  It was going good and I was struggling it up slowly, but then I started to get dizzy again.  I kept pushing and got the bar to about mid-thigh.  It was at this point that my vision started to blur and I felt myself starting to lose consciousness.  I immediately dropped the weight.  I got the weight up, but I sacrificed the rest of my work out for it.  I altered the rest of my plan to reduce the amount of cardiovascular stress I put on myself and the amount of strength required.  I got a decent workout, but not quite the type of workout I would normally get.

It was good to get that weight up, feel strong and play meat head for a little while, but it got me thinking, is it really good to push past your limits like that?  Was it worth sacrificing the majority of my strength in that one movement just to break through a barrier?  Arnold Schwarzenegger certainly thought so.  Anybody that has ever seen Steve Prefontaine's race from the 1972 Munich Olympics knows that he thought so also.  To paraphrase Arnold, that willingness to endure the pain and push through your limits is what makes a champion.

I often (semi) jokingly refer to myself as Batman.  That moment that I tested my limits and my desire was the first time I really felt I could reach the epitome of human capability like my hero.  I know that I'm nowhere near that level and part of that has been because of my training.  While I don't believe you should push yourself to the point where you're ready to pass out in every workout, you should push your comfort levels.  After that experience with the deadlifts, I came to the realization that my workouts, while still challenging, are not "hard."

What do I mean?  I mean my workouts still make me sweat and I work ward, but I'm not pushing myself.  When I went on my last run, I had run two miles out of a six mile run and I wasn't breathing heavy nor was sweating really hard.  I kept a solid sub-8:00 pace, so it's not like I was running slow, but I wasn't out there pushing the boundaries of my abilities.  The same can be said of my strength days, well except leg day maybe.  I'm getting stronger and I work hard, but I'm not really pushing my boundaries.  Today, I went to the gym, worked chest and back and I really pushed myself.  I was really happy with it and I was happy with my workout.

So, what am I saying?  I'm not saying you should go into the gym and try to make yourself pass out or vomit every time, like Arnold suggests.  However, I would recommend getting yourself to that level just below.  Barriers are broken with effort.  You will never improve and achieve your goals by constantly maintaining and coasting through workouts.  If you want to achieve your goals you have to be willing to tolerate that pain.  At some point, not only must you be willing to accept pain, but you have to be willing to seek out the pain. It's like the shirt says "Pain is just weakness leaving the body." 

On a completely unrelated note, my wife answered a questionnaire from Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, the ladies behind Another Mother Runner.  I may not be a mother runner, but I thought it was a cool list, so I decided to poach it.  Besides, if their goal is to make this go viral why would that preclude me from participating.  Anyway, I figured this would be a good way to close today's blog.  Without further adieu, here's the list.

1. Best run ever:

It was about three months ago.  It was a beautiful summer evening and it seemed like everything was perfect.  I kept a great pace and it was just one of those times where I felt like I could run forever.  I wish all runs could be like that.

2. Three words that describe my running:

I GOTTA POOP!

3. My go-to running outfit is:

Shirtless, black shorts, red shoes and my phone.

4. Quirky habit while running:

I clench my toes.

5. Morning, midday, evening:

I don't really have a preference.  Whenever it's not too hot or cold, really.

6. I won’t run outside when it’s:

Lightning.

7. Worst injury—and how I got over it:

Three way tie. 

My groin/lower ab injury - I trained around it.  I limited crunches and strengthened my stabilizing muscles.

Shin splints - I switched to the Kinvara 2s and altered my training regimen.  Best. Shoe. Ever.

Back injury - Still working through it.   I train around it.

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when:

Well, I'm not quite a mother runner, but probably when I finished Spartan.

9. Next race is:

Baltimore Half-Marathon

10. Potential running goal for 2013:

Finish the Mid-Atlantic Super Spartan in under 2 hours.  Maybe do a Spartan Beast.  I'd love to do the one in Killington, VT.

Getting Back into Things

It's been a little less than two weeks since Spartan Race.  Most of my cuts and scrapes have healed.  My strength is starting to come back and I started running again earlier this week.  As I mentioned in my last post, I seem to have injured my back.  I have been training around it and taking it easy.  I feel better, but I'm still not back at 100%. 

I realized that I began my taper too early and I lost some strength.  While my body was healed and ready to go, it would have been nice to have that extra boost.  It's a mistake I've learned from and that I don't intend to repeat for my next two races.  I do have my eye on a few other events, but I haven't committed to anything yet.  I want to just try to get my back feeling right and get through my next races without further injury.  I've decided that there a few things I want to try to do differently in training this time around to see if it helps with my performance.

One of the new training elements I'm going to add is more trail running.  Thanks to my lovely wife, I found a series of off road trails near my house that are ideal for running.  It works out really well.  I did my first run there on Monday.  The trails are about two miles away.  I ran there and back and did two miles off road.  It was a lot of fun, there was a nice steep hill that let me get a little bit of resistance training in.  I ran through a small stream and got wet and I fell off of a log trying to jump over it.  All and all, it was a good first run back and I look forward to exploring these trails more while the weather stays warm.

Trail running is definitely something I would encourage to help break up the monotony that can sometimes occur with your regular running routine.  Running, while a good form of exercise, can easily get pretty boring.  Your body gets into a rhythm and you basically just try to hold that same rhythm and tempo for the duration of your run.  With trail running, you can't do that.  There are constant barriers and variations that you have to watch out for.  Trail running requires more mental focus and you have to watch your foot placement with every stride.  I've also found that this increased focus on foot placement has improved my form and made me more aware of how my foot strikes the ground. 

I'm still a heel striker (I don't think anything is ever going to change that), but my stride and foot placement has improved.  This improved form also helps keep the stress off of my knees, ankles and shins.  Trail running is also better on your joints overall anyway.  As I'm sure most of you are aware, there's a constant pounding everytime you go out and run on blacktop or cement.  That constant pounding definitely takes its toll.  While proper shoes and form will help mitigate a lot of that, running on dirt and grass minimizes that impact.

Plus, trail running is just plain fun.  It's like going on an adventure.  Running and jumping over logs and trying to traverse difficult terrain is fun.  It takes away some of the speed elements, but it replaces that with a return to youthful activities.  It's like going back to your childhood and playing outside and getting dirty.  It really is a good time.  Like I said,  I really look forward to getting out on those trails again.  So, until next time, as always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

SPAAAAAR-TANS!!! PREPARE FOR GLORY!

I am sure everyone is dying to know how the race went.  By all accounts, I would have to say it was a success.  I wasn't thrilled with my time (a little over 2 hours), but it wasn't due to a lack of effort.  I left everything I had on that field.  There was definitely room for improvement, but there are just some things that you cannot account for.  Unbelievably, the weather cooperated.  I really couldn't have asked for a better race.  There were some things that looked like they were going to be easier on the videos and there were others things that turned out to be much easier.  From what I know so far, I actually did pretty well overall and for my age group. What will follow is pretty much a blow by blow of how the morning went and how the race was.

I woke up at around 6:30 a.m. and my wife and I got everyone ready (she did most of the work because I'm lazy).  I had a nice light breakfast of a white bagel with peanut butter.  I turned out to be an almost perfect breakfast and will likely be my new race day food of choice.  We got out of the house around 8:00 to be greeted by an under inflated tire.  Thankfully, we had to stop for gas and took care of the tire in a jiffy.  

The field was about an hour away and we got stuck in some traffic.  We got to the field at around 10:00.  There was a soccer tournament nearby and there were a bunch of pissed off soccer moms that didn't take too kindly to a bunch of scuzzy racers clogging up their field.  I immediately went to packet pickup while eating my last pre-race snack (a banana).  Packet pickup was a breeze because I followed the instructions posted on the Spartan Race website.  For the next hour, we just kind of hung out and watched the festivities. 

Me with Superman

We were lucky enough to get there to see Team X.T.R.E.M.E. parachute onto the field and do their start.  For those that don't know, Team X.T.R.E.M.E. is a group of disabled veterans that races in full combat gear.  Probably the most motivating experience of the morning.

Team X.T.R.E.M.E. Parachuting In

Team X.T.R.E.M.E. Starting Point

Within an hour I met up with my running partner and we got to the starting line.  We joked with one another for a little bit, him telling me I was too skinny, me asking him if he was going to run in a T-shirt or the natural wool sweater he was wearing underneath it.  My wife and kids followed us over to the start and snapped a few pictures of me acting cheesy.  We heard that the top men's time was 1:16:00.  We both scoffed at that.  I was certain that I would finish within 1:30:00.

Starting Line

The host bombed us with a smoke grenade and that started the race.  I was running on adrenaline at the beginning of the race.  They could have had a 30' tall wall and I would've scaled that bastard with ease.  There were a few obstacles at the beginning that were pretty easy to traverse.  A little jumping and rolling, nothing too serious.  At the end of the first field there was an obstacle that required us to jump over, roll under and jump through three separate walls.  I cracked my back going through the last part, luckily I had loaded up on my Yoga earlier this week or this may have been a problem.

We quickly ran into another field and through a water pit before going off road.  When I say off road, I mean it.  There was a trail, but it was littered with holes, fallen tree trunks and huge rocks.  Very easy to roll an ankle.  After the first mile, my running partner and I ran into the biggest hill I've ever raced up.  Honestly, I thought it would never end.  I rarely walk when I run and even I had to stop and catch my breath.  I pulled away from my partner at this point and got a massive lead.  He didn't catch back up until around mile six.

I Don't Have Any Pictures of Me Doing Obstacles, So I figured I Would Add A Picture of My Kids Acting Silly While Daddy Was Out Being A Spartan.

 



That hill was awful and seemed to last almost an entire mile.  The descent was just as difficult because it was so steep, I had to pretty much stutter step my whole way down.  After the hill of death, the adrenaline had worn off and I was starting to hurt already.  It's at this point that I should mention that we were racing around horse farms.  For much of the next mile, I spent most of my time running and jumping over barriers that horses would use for the steeplechase.  It was getting old and I was starting to get more than a little frustrated at all the jumping I was doing over these stupid things.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it out of the steeplechase.  We went back off road again.  Much of the next mile is pretty much a blur.   I really don't remember anything being too difficult.  It seemed like they wanted to give us a little bit of a break before hammering us again.  A few things to jump over, but nothing too serious.  Right before mile 4 we came out of the woods again and were closing in on the fairgrounds.  That's when we came to the world's longest low crawl through mud under barbed wire.  Seriously, I may be exaggerating, but not much, it seemed like this low crawl was the length of like three football fields.  It was split into three fields and in between each one was a pit of water. 

As I was running up, one of the guys told me to roll under it and put my arms up above my head.  Yeah, bullshit!  I wound up with gashes all over my back from trying it that way.  Maybe that guy doesn't do his should presses or something.  I lost a TON of time crawling under that barbed wire, oh and might I add, the mud was filled with rocks.  So, not only did I thrash my back on the barbed wire, but my knees, ribs and elbows were wrecked on the rocks and worst of all I lost my number which had my free beer ticket on it.  After the mud pit, there were a set of monkey bars, I went all Gladiator and rubbed dirt on my hands to make sure I got a grip and I destroyed those monkey bars.

One of My Battle Scars

Miles 4-6 were actually kind of tame.  There was some more jumping over steeplechase barriers and I almost fell off of one into a ravine at one point, but it was pretty tame.  There was a balancing obstacle where you had to walk across a flat log before scaling a 6' wall.  After the wall, there was another balancing obstacle where you had to walk across stumps that were varying heights all stuck in the ground, then scale a cargo net and then flip a giant tire a few times. 

Then, I got to the Hercules Hoist and I was screwed.  I'll be honest.  I though this obstacle was going to be a cake walk and it kicked my ass.  My strategy was to get a foot hold and then just walk back.  The problem was that the ground and my shoes were caked in mud and getting a foot hold was impossible.  I got it about 1/3 of the way up before I gave up and just did my burpies.  The energy I burned on those burpies and trying to get that weight up REALLY hurt me.  It was here that my running partner caught me.  I was dying at this point, but I saw a family sitting out in the middle of a field. They asked me what heat I was in and after I told them, they were impressed and told me I was "really moving."  That gave me just that extra little bit I needed to keep trudging forward.

I really don't remember a lot from miles 6-8+ (I say 8+ because I know damn well that course was well over 8 miles).  I do remember that they saved the hardest obstacles for the end.  Right after mile 6 started, they gave me a 50-60 lb sandbag that I had to haul around what seemed like forever.  I had to push that thing over logs and throw it on top of rocks and then climb on top of the rocks before throwing it down and then picking it up and carrying it some more.  It seemed like I carried that stupid sand bag for a good 10+ minutes. 

From there, I had to scale another cargo net and then do, what I thought, was one of the hardest obstacles of then entire race, "The Bunny Hop."  I know, "The Bunny Hop?"  What's so intense about that?  It was around "The Bunny Hop" that I felt my calves start to go and afterward was the only time where I walked for any significant amount of time.  They give you a big rubber strap and you hook it around your ankles.  You have to hop over logs and roll under ropes for about a hundred feet.  Doesn't sound too hard, but it was agony. 

After "The Bunny Hop" we made it back to the main fairgrounds.  It's a total mindscrew.  You think you're pretty much at the end and then they hit you with 7 ridiculous obstacles right at the end. A series of water pits, followed by walking up an inclined wall with a rope, then you have to pull a cinder block around a (I guess) 1/4 mile track, scale another 6 foot wall, rock climb horizontally across a wall with wooden blocks, a javelin throw and then a rope climb.  I was really worried about scaling the water wall, but my shoes stuck to that bitch like glue.  I went up and over it with no problem.

It was off to the brick pull.  That brick pull was awful.  All kinds of shit would get stuck under it and make it harder to drag.  Not to mention, you had to drag it with a chain.  I was dying at this point.  I just wanted that shit to be over.  I completely lost my calves doing this obstacle and I got to a point where I would yank it and then walk the chain out.  That obstacle was awful.  I was at a slow jog at this point and I jogged to the next obstacle, another 6' wall.  Surprisingly, I went up it like it was nothing (No doubt thanks to my outstanding hip drive from all of the squats and dead lifts I've been doing). 

Amazingly, my running partner was on the other side of the wall.  I was convinced I had lost to him.  Turns out the 6' wall burned him and he had to knock out 30 burpies for it.  We came back to the starting point and we knew we only had to finish the final obstacles.  We both traversed the rock climb wall, then it was the javelin throw.  He blew his completely.  Mine actually hit the target and would have stuck if the target was a little fuller. 30 burpies for the both of us.  If my calves weren't completely spent before then, they were now.  We both walked to the rope climb. 

I scaled the rope (like a boss) and hit the bell.  As soon as he heard me hit the bell, he said "You got me, Torres."  He went down and did his burpies.  I tried to get down slowly and gracefully, but my calves were gone.  They couldn't hold me on the rope.  How I got up there in the first place, I'll never know.  I was halfway down the rope and my legs gave out.  I fell about ten feet into the water below.  I crawled out of the pit and walked over to the last stretch.  I knelt down and in an homage to CM Punk, I looked at my wrist band, I got up, shuffled my fists, cupped my mouth and shouted "IT'S CLOBBERING TIME" as I sprinted toward the gladiators at the finish line.

Turns out the gladiators didn't take to kindly to my challenge and tried to crush me as I sprinted through.  One crushed me in the chest, another threw his pugil stick at me and still another one got me in "The Boyz."  The one that got me in "The Boyz" pissed me off and I shouted back at him, "Is that all you got, bitch!"  One of them chased me after that and tried to throw his pugil stick at me. He missed as I crossed the finish line. 

I Think This Is Actually Me Turning To Make Sure I Didn't Have A Gladiator On My Ass

The feeling I got when I crossed the finish line was incredible.  Life changing.  I knew that every squat, every dead lift, every pull-up, every mile, every stretch, every bench press was worth it. It was amazing.  I thought that race would be hard, but nowhere near as hard as it actually was.  After finishing, I feel like I can accomplish anything.  My gut and balls hurt from being crushed by one of those gladiators, but I was immune to it.  It was just incredible.  The hardest miles I had ever done and it was worth every second.  A few moments later I was in agony.  I was on the ground holding my calves in the fetal position and a few minutes later my thighs locked up, but even that pain was worth it.  It was amazing and I'm already contemplating doing it again next year. 

A Cornucopia of Things

I have a lot of topics to cover today, so I'll just dive right in.  I've got Spartan Race this weekend and I'm still tapering.  I have not lifted since Sunday (I pushed another new squat PR.  SWEET!)  and my last run was Saturday.  I'm really concerned about feeling weak or tired, but I think I'm going to be ok and just try to trust in my training.  It's weird.  I've got this itch to train, but I have to store all of the that energy up for Saturday. 

I went to Yoga yesterday, I've got another session scheduled for tomorrow and, if I'm lucky, I might be able to squeeze in one more session on Friday.  I want to try and be as limber and loose as possible.  I also want to use the quiet time of Yoga to help increase my mental focus for the big day.  Don't confuse me for some type of vegan, hippy weirdo.  I don't get stoned while listening to dulcimer music and whiffing incense, but I do believe Yoga plays a vital part in any training regimen and should be a part of every endurance/distance athlete's schedule.

While we are on the topic of distance athletes I would be remiss if I did not mention that I signed up for my first half-marathon today.  I will be running the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 13.  I'm excited and nervous.  The furthest I've ever run is 12 miles and I injured myself pretty bad doing that.  Since then, the longest run I've done was 11 miles and it wasn't pretty.  I know I can do it, but there is definitely a bit of a mental barrier there that I will need to overcome, this is one of the things that makes Yoga invaluable. 

October is going to be a bit of a busy month for me.  The week after Baltimore, I run my final race of the season, Rogue Runner.  I'm not really thinking about Rogue Runner right now, nor am I thinking about how I'm going to structure my training for these races.  I just want to continue to focus on what I've got going for this weekend and taking a short break before I get back to training.  Quite honestly, the thing I'm most looking forward to is having a few cold beers and a really unhealthy meal after the race this weekend.

As I mentioned previously, October is going to be a busy month, but the Torres household isn't going to be as busy as we had previously anticipated.  Unfortunately, my training partner and wife, who was working herself up for the Marine Corps Marathon, has injured herself (she has a stress fracture in her left leg).  She's my inspiration, my support system and the leader of my 3 person cheering section. 

I can't come close to comprehending how devastating it must have been for her to get that news this past Tuesday and having to pull out of a race that she had been looking forward to since the beginning of this year.  She's been training like a maniac for this race and this was her white whale.  I tried to console her as best I could, but I knew that no words I offered could give her back the lost opportunity and make up for the time and effort that she had sunk into this race. 

So, in true Roy fashion I told her to "rub some dirt on it, man the fuck up and quit crying."  Just kidding, but that would have been pretty funny if I did.  In all seriousness, I know she's going to rock that bitch come October 2013.  She's already deferred her spot until next year and is looking for ways to train around her injury.  She's a beast I tell you.

I figure I'll close on a little bit of a more upbeat note.  My mom, who is in her 50's, went to Colorado last week.  Not only did that psychopath run the Pikes Peak Half-marathon on Saturday, but she ran the full marathon on Sunday.  For those that don't know, the ascent up Pikes Peak is 13.32 miles, starting at 6300 feet above sea level with an elevation gain of an additional 7815 feet.  According to their website, trees can't grow above the 12000 ft level due to how thin the air is.  When I spoke with her on Friday, we were talking about the race and I said "Yeah... Uhhhh... Fuck that."  Kudos to her. 

Well, I think that's enough for today.  I'm going to try to provide an update on Saturday night while Spartan is still fresh in my mind, but there's a good chance I may be too busy indulging in Chicago Style Pizza, bratwurst and a few of the finest seasonal craft brews that our good friends at Sam Adams and Fat Tire have to offer.  So until next time, as always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

The Taper

As I've been promising for the last week or so, I'm finally going to talk about my taper that I've been doing for the past few weeks in preparation for Spartan Race next Saturday.  I can honestly say it's going awesome.  Below is a video of me breaking my personal squat record.  I do 205 in this video for 5 reps.  This is my final set after doing 2 sets of 185 for 10 and another set of 195 for 10. 

Overall, I'm really happy about how I'm feeling right now.  I just feel stronger all around.  Every weight I lift feels lighter.  I can do more pullups.  I can push more weight with my shoulder and bench presses.  My deadlift has gone up.  I just feel fresher and ready for Spartan.  It's tempting to try and push more weight, but I've been resisting because I don't want to burn myself out.  I am a little afraid that I might be sacrificing my cardiovascular conditioning, but I ran 8 miles last Saturday with little problem.
The natural question is, if I'm still working out so much, what have I tapered.  Well, in the last 3 weeks I've literally cut my running load in half.  It's weird not running so much.  Every time I get home from a run that's shorter than six miles I feel like I have somehow cheated.  I'm pretty confident that my stamina is going to be there when I need it next weekend. I've also slightly altered my diet to help deal with my gut issues.

I've cut back on my dairy intake by switching from regular milk to soy milk.  I'm still using whey, but mixing it with the new milk.  I've also stopped using cheese on my sandwiches and dressing with my vegetables.  I've noticed a slight difference.  I also paid a visit to the local vitamin store.  The meat head behind the counter suggested that I might be suffering from a glutamine deficit during my runs.  So, I've added a small dosage of glutamine to my regular supplementation regimen.  Both seem to be working, but I'll have a better idea of how well they're working on Saturday when I do my last run of the training cycle.

Overall, as difficult as this training has been, I have enjoyed it for the most part.  I've discovered more about my body and training than I ever thought possible.  I learned all kinds of little things that have helped increased my endurance and form which, in turn, has helped me to enjoy the experience a lot more.  It's been a bit of a journey of self discovery these past few months.  I only hope that I'm not leaving my best in the gym or on the road.  I hope to continue down this path and push my physical limits after I have completed Spartan.

I've already set my next goals, I'll be running the 10K Rogue Runner Obstacle Race (http://www.roguerunnerrace.com/) in October.  I'm also on the fence about whether or not I'll attempt my first half marathon.  My plan is to get into beast mode and do the Baltimore Half Marathon (http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/) the week before Rogue Runner.  That will probably end my race season for the year.  That's all for today.  Kind of a boring update this time around, maybe next time I'll get into something more exciting next time.  As always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

Before and After

I figured I would make a quick update today.  I was going through some of my wife's old pictures on FB and I came across something that many people probably think doesn't exist.  FAT PICTURES!  As I have mentioned before, about 2 years ago I made the decision to change my life because of some health issues one of my wife's friend's husband experienced.  I was close to 200 lbs, which some of you may not consider heavy, but you have to remember, I'm only 5'8". 

Anyway, here are some pictures from then.  This is actually about three months after I had started my workout plan.  I had probably already lost a few lbs, but I hadn't made a concentrated effort to change my lifestyle yet.  I would still smoke the occasional cigarette, eat and drink A LOT of crappy food and good beer.  For those of you that do not know, it's actually better for your waistline to drink shitty beer.  The reason good beer tastes so good is because it has extra ingredients in it that bring up the flavor and the calorie count.  So without further adieu, these are some pictures taken the summer I started my cardio regimen about 2 years ago.

Believe it or not, I was actually in pretty good cardiovascular shape at this point.  I was primarily doing the elliptical.  I had not started running yet, well, because "I hated running," but that's another story for another day.  My weight training regimen didn't actually start until last year.  Believe it or not, fat really did not start to REALLY come off until I started weight training.  This is why I'm so adamant when I talk to people about the benefits of strength training.  This is what I looked like a little over two months ago. 

I've actually filled out a little more since then and dropped a little more fat, but I didn't feel like getting off my fat ass to go take a more recent photo, so these will have to do.  As I said, I started strength training sometime in the spring of last year and I got really serious about it in the last year.  I have no delusions about where I am.  I know that I'm not Jason Statham or Ryan Reynolds.  Although, eventually getting as close as possible to that point is the ultimate goal. 

Now, I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea.  The intent here isn't to brag or anything.  I want people to know that I've been there.  I know how difficult it is to try and shed fat and gain muscle.  I know how hard it is when your kids want to play in the yard and chasing them around makes you breathe heavy.  I know what it's like when you walk up a flight of stairs and your heart starts to pound.  That's really the purpose of the stuff I write.  I want people to know that I've been there. 

Am I a competitive person?  Of course.  Do I sometimes wish more people would take it upon themselves to get in shape?  No doubt.  I get pissed off when I see fat people riding around on carts.  I get angry when obese people cut in front of me in the mall and then waddle slower than two snails screwing.  I'm human.  However, if just one person gets motivated to make a change in their life, if they decide to make that commitment to themselves to get in better shape and my blog or my ramblings on twitter or facebook is their inspiration, that's the biggest reward I can reap from all of the miles I log, all of the weights I lift and all of the stretches I do. 

Someone telling me, "Dude, you're amazing.  You made me want to get in shape!" that makes every single drop of sweat worth it.  To know that I helped somebody to improve their life and maybe even saved their life.  That's an incredible reward.  As I said, fitness is a commitment.  A diet is not something you go off of, it's the way you eat, FOREVER.  Getting in shape requires you to commit yourself to it.  You can't change your diet and exercise for six months, lose ten pounds and think, "Well, that's it!  I can go back to eating shit again."  It doesn't work that way.  If you do that, the weight is just going to come back and it's going to bring some extra weight with it.  Trust me.  I've done it.  I've ballooned up and down.  It's not fun and gets harder to lose every time.

Sorry, I got off on another one of my tangents.  Today was a bit of another stream of conciousness rants.  Next time, I hope to talk about my taper and how I'm feeling heading into Spartan (Hint: AWESOME).  So, as always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

Inspiration

I was finishing my leg workout just a little earlier and was brainstorming about what I was going to write about.  I had about half of this written in my head, I was going to talk about how my taper is going, how I'm feeling stronger, going up in my bench presses, squats, etc., but then I started thinking about Oscar Pistorius.  I'm not sure what brought it on, but I've been thinking about this inspirational athlete ever since a first heard about him and his journey to the Olympics.  As I'm sure most of you know, Pistorius is the first amputee runner to ever compete in the Olympics.  Please, bear with me, because this is just going to be a bit of stream of consciousness type blog today.

I love tales of inspiration, but there has been something that really affected me about Pistorius. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the fact that he just wants everyone to treat him the same.  He did not want special treatment and he did not want anything handed to him.  Maybe that is what was so beautiful to me about his loss.  Nobody took it easy on him.  Nobody felt sorry for him.  Nobody gave him anything.  It was as it had always been for him. 

Throughout the games he discussed how his late mother was a major inspiration for him and how she treated him no differently than his brother.  He told stories about how she told his brother to put his shoes on and told him to put his legs on.  He just thought he had a different kind of shoes.  He played sports and he had a regular childhood. 

NBC showed the work that he does with children.  They showed how he goes into classrooms, walks around outside with the kids and after they have grown comfortable with him, he shows them that his legs are amputated below the knee and his legs are actually prostheses.  He explains that their next reaction is always to check his arms and make sure those are real.

Every little thing about his story made me emotional and, as my wife will tell you, I never display emotion. The thing that set me over the top though, was when Kirani James exchanged bibs with Pistorius after he had beat him in the semi-finals.  That one moment signified everything that the Olympics is supposed to be about.  Even now, just thinking about it, I get overcome by it.

Where am I going with this?  I'm not sure, really.  I guess I just wanted to share my feelings on something that I'm sure moved us all.  Perhaps, I don't know, maybe I wanted to try and thank Pistorius for inspiring me.  Anyway, until next time, as always, train hard, have fun and be safe.

What's on Your Playlist?

So, today I realized that I was a week behind in my training for Spartan Race (http://www.spartanrace.com/) and decided to enter my taper.  For the uninitiated, tapering is slowly reducing your workload before an event.  The intent is to have built your stamina and strength to their peak of performance and then reducing your workload so that you are fresh and ready for the event.  Start to soon and you may start to get out of shape.  Start to late and you risk leaving some of your best runs back in training.  My run taper started today and I felt pretty good.  It was actually kind of odd to run something less than 6 miles.  Almost like I was cheating, but that's not what today's topic is. 

No, today's topic is playlists.  I posted a joke on FB about how I use the music from the below video as my primary motivational music.  It was a joke at the time anyway, I actually downloaded the song after that and used it to start off my run and posted one of my strongest first miles.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/MriGFX?feature=watch

Anyway, I got into a short discussion with one of my FB friends about how you can't keep using the same songs over and over again, otherwise they lose their motivational properties.  I'm a firm believer in this.  The right song can get you up a tough hill, it can make you gut out a strong wind or it can make you push through that last mile.  However, if you toast your playlist, it loses its efficacy.  I have one friend whose playlist is so far gone that he won't even listen to music when he runs, he listens to books on tape (that has to be the most boring shit ever, but that's his cup of tea). 

A couple of weeks ago when I was out on a ten mile run I had just the right song come on and it actually motivated me to make my last mile the fastest mile on my run.  On the flip side of the coin, I had issues with MP3 player several months ago and my wife was kind enough to lend me her MP3 player.  I really appreciated the gesture and there are times where we even have similar tastes in music and I was kind of looking forward to seeing what she uses for her motivation.  Maybe I could steal a few of her tunes, but this is when I discovered that different people are motivated by different types of music.  When I was half way through that six mile run and Beyonce's "Girls Rule the World" came on, I had had enough of my wife's girl power playlist and turned the MP3 player off.

There's also the alternate school of thought, one that I actually find a lot of merit in as well.  The idea of training silently.  This is something I do on my night runs from time to time.  It's actually very comforting.  The dark, the quiet, the only sounds that you hear are those from your breathing, the natural sounds of the night and the rhythm of your feet hitting the pavement.  This also gives you an opportunity to work on your breathing and check out the rhythm of your cadence.  You can concentrate on your heartbeat and see if you are training at optimal level or if you need to kick it up.

Running silently is what a lot of elite marathon and distance runners do.  When was the last time you saw an Olympic runner or a marathon winner wearing their IPod at the finish line?  I know that there are even some marathons that will not accept a qualifying time if it was accomplished while wearing a music player. 

What's my point?  Nothing really.  Train how you want to train, use your music, but I would definitely recommend unplugging every now and again to see what it is that you are doing while you are out there hitting the pavement.  As always, train hard, have fun, be safe and, for today, think about what's on your playlist.

Trots, Toe Clenching, A New PR & My Next Race

Well, I guess I'll start this week off by giving big kudos to my wife for finding a coupon for half off the entry fee for the Rogue Runner Race in October (http://www.roguerunnerrace.com/).  I've been trying to find another race to do after Spartan Race (http://www.spartanrace.com) because I did not want all the clean eating and training I've been doing to wind up being for just one event (between yoga, weight training and running, I train around 10 times a week).  I wanted to do the Tough Mudder (http://toughmudder.com/), but I was concerned about doing a 12 mile obstacle race 2 weeks after Spartan and the $150+ entry fee was kind of steep.  I still want to do the Baltimore 1/2 Marathon (http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/), but I haven't made my decision yet. 

This brings me to my next point.  I think I'm starting to peak in my training.  I've set 2 new personal records for a 10k in the past two weeks (my new PR for a 10K, 45:09,  was set last week in my first run with red).  I'm starting to get stronger and break through strength plateaus.  It's really cool to break through barriers like this, to test my personal limits and learn different little lessons about my body and training.  Unfortunately, my #1 enemy still remains.  We're going to get a little gross here, so please be warned.  My #1 enemy is runner's trots (http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/How-to-Avoid-Runners-Trots.htm).  Runner's trots, for those that don't know, is a form loose stool that primarily affects distance runners.  It's estimated to affect anywhere from 20-50% of runners. 

Seriously, this is probably something people think is funny or gross or whatever, but it's something I've grown to dread.  I've tried to nail the cause down and I've tried a variety of different pre-run routines, but it's something I just can't get a hold on.  It's always hit or miss.  The best bet for me has been to use immodium, but I don't consider that real fix.  I mean, who wants to have to pop an immodium every time they want to go out for a run?  Besides, who even knows what kind of long term effects that might have.  What is particularly frustrating about this, is that it's ruined some really good runs.   

For example, two weeks ago I was setting an awesome 10K pace that was actually much faster than the run I set my PR with.  Then, midway through mile three, I started to get that feeling in my gut.  At mile 4 it started to bubble up.  Mile 5 IT HIT!  I can't explain this feeling but it's like having to take the biggest and worst crap in your life.  What's worse is that I was 2 miles from the house and there were no restrooms around.  Guess what?  I've got to waddle/walk/run/scooch those two miles home.    My wife calls it "The Walk of Shame."  I think it's an appropriate name.  The whole way home I beat myself and hate my body for failing me.  Not cool. 

Ok, I'm sure you guys don't come here to hear about my crap, so we'll move on.  This week I learned a new lesson about my running and stride.  I was out doing a 10 mile run about two weeks ago and I noticed an ache in the toes on my left foot.  I had noticed I was having some sharp pains in my toes during the week.  It was not a mild pain either, but a sharp shooting pain.  What I realized during that run was that I was clenching my toes, almost to the point of making a fist with my toes, every time my foot struck the ground. 

I made a concentrated effort to stop doing it and noticed an immediate difference.  I had been having problem with one toe in particular (my kids call it the gross toe) and the pain is nearly gone.  I'm finding that my stride is much more comfortable and feels a lot more organic now.  I still catch myself doing it, but I think it's only a matter of time until the muscle memory catches up and I fix this problem.  It's one of those interesting little things that I thought I would point out.

For those of us that run, we don't often think about every little thing that our body is doing.  We get into a rhythm and just kind of let it carry us through the session.  Sometimes, it's a good idea to slow down and actually concentrate on what you are doing.  You never know what little thing you will learn about your form.  Perhaps you might find something to help you correct a nagging little injury or to just make the experience just a little bit more pleasant.

Goodbye Blue...

It is with a certain amount of sadness that I write today's blog.  I lost a dear friend earlier this week.  I knew their time was coming, but  I did not want to accept it.  It seemed like we had just met and in that short time we had the adventure of a lifetime.  I thought we would be friends forever, but alas, time, she is a cruel mistress and she struck the final blow to my friend yesterday.  This blog is dedicated to my friend, Blue.

Blue was my first pair of Saucony Kinvara 2's.  A little story about how Blue and I met.  I did what many runners do when buying a new pair of running shoes.  I  went to my local running store, did the whole fitting, gait examination, blah, blah, blah.  The fine people at VA Runner informed me that my stride and gait was not to dissimilar from Quasimoto.  They recommended shoes that looked like they had a monster truck tread on the bottom.  I got the shoes home and they were great. 

That is, until I tried to run more than five miles in them.  If I did anything more than five miles, I got crippling pain in the side of my right knee.  I took the shoes back to the store and talked to the salesman.  They gave me another gait examination and, after more insults about how I run like Frankenstein, he assured me I had the right shoes.  The diagnosis was to strengthen my IT band, stretch and warm up the muscle.  Another words, the shoe was fine, but I'm a dumbass. 

I tried the whole routine for about a week before I got tired of it.  In my opinion there is no reason running should be this hard, nor should it require some extensive pre/post run ritual.  You go outside, you run and that should be that.  There's also evidence to support the idea that warming up and stretching before running is bullshit, but I digress.  I had signed up for Spartan Race and I needed a fix.  I was inclined to go after a pair of cross country shoes because I knew Spartan Race would largely be off road and it was my understanding that these shoes would shed water quickly.

It was around this time that my wife had bought a pair of hot pink Kinvara 2's.  For those that are unaware, the Kinvaras are Saucony line of barefoot/minimalist running shoe.  When my wife showed them to me, I silently thought she was an idiot that was going to wreck her shins, knees, feet, etc, but I was a supportive (but dismissive) husband and kept my thoughts to myself and simply said "Oh wow, those are nice, couldn't you find ones that were pinker."  She took her Kinvaras out for a cruise and raved about them.  I assumed she was just trying to justify her purchase to herself, and I assumed her breakdown would come in fairly short order.

Another month of agony and knee pain went by for me, while my wife was happy and injury free.  (Note: the more people read my blog, the more they will realize that my wife is much more savvy than I).  One day while we were walking through the mall we decided to stop at a local discount shoe store.  They just so happened to have the men's Kinvara 2s for half price.   I was still having knee pain and I still had enough time before Spartan to start my training regimen over and grow accustomed to these shoes.   I spotted Blue and picked them up, thinking, if nothing else I could lift weights in them.  So, it was with great trepidation that I brought Blue home. 

I strapped Blue on for a test drive the next day.  It was different.  I was still running like Frankenstein, but it was not bothering me like it used to.  The knee pain was gone, my shins weren't hurting, and I was running faster.  I was happy, but I didn't want to get too excited.  I only started off with a mile.  I slowly increased my mileage every week and Blue stayed with me.  I loved the way Blue gripped the pavement.  Slowly, but surely, I was starting to have intimate feelings for Blue and then Blue did something I never expected.  I took Blue out off road and we ran through puddles, mud, etc.  What I found out was that Blue did not hold water.  I thrashed the puddles and put them through as much punishment as I could on that run and Blue just shook it off.  It was then and there that I Blue and I's relationship was consummated.

Then I took Blue to Run Amuck, a 3.5 obstacle race.  Blue and I kicked ass.  We finished in the top 50 overall and I was in the top 10 for my age group.  It was my first race in several years and it was there that I fell in love with the sport of mud running/obstacle racing, but it was also the first signs of wear on Blue.  You see, Blue did not quite recover from the rigor of Run Amuck and the training I did leading up to it.  It was my dream that Blue and I would stand triumphant at the end of Spartan Race, but alas it was not to be. 

After Run Amuck, Blue began to give out.  Blue was beginning to cause pain in my shins and in my knees.  I refused to believe it.  Blue and I were going to have our moment, but I began to realize that Blue's time was running short when I looked under Blue's sole saw this.

Blue is the shoe on the right

As you can see.  Blue had significant tread damage.  Blue was wearing out.  Blue was... Dying.  I didn't believe it.  I wouldn't believe it.  My wife urged me several times to switch to Blues replacement, but I wouldn't hear of it.  Blue and I wear going to Spartan Race.  That was, until yesterday.  Blue and I were in the Crossfit room at the gym.  We were kicking ass and doing our squats and then I looked down and I saw this:

There's a hole in Blue's toe box.

It was there that I decided that Blue would need to be retired, but I'd remiss if I didn't mention that Blue went out like a champ.  Blue and I squatted our 200 lb goal yesterday and Blue's last run was a cool even 10 miles in 1:22:24.  Blue's last stretch of that run was a thing of beauty.  Blue finished hard with a 7:13 mile.  So, it is with great sadness that I ended Blue's career today.  Thank you, Blue.  You have served me well. 

With Blue's departure, we welcome Blue's replacement, Red. 

It's nice to meet you, Red.  I just want you to know, you have some mighty awesome shoes to replace.

Get That Butt Right!

Today's post is one I've wanted to do since I started blogging.  It's what I believe is the secret to getting into the best possible shape you can be in.  One exercise will make you faster, stronger, leaner, more muscular, more toned, more fit than anything else.  I credit this one exercise as being the secret to my breaking through barriers in running, lifting and cardiovsacular conditioning.  This one exercise works almost every muscle in your body from your neck down to your feet. 

By now, you either know what I'm talking about or you're wondering what this magnificent wonder exercise is.  Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer.  The magic exercise is squats.  The squat is a fantastic exercise.  As soon as you rack the weight, you're working all of the muscles from your hips to your armpits to help you stabilize the weight.  You're working your back and shoulder muscles to create a nice firm stable shelf for the weight to sit on.  However, it's when you engage the weight... that's where the magic REALLY begins. 

When you squat down, you're keeping you're chest upright and you're engaging that core all the way down to help keep that weight nice and stable.  You're holding you're breath as you go down to keep that nice firm beautiful core.  That motion right there is better than any ab exercise you can do and it's not only getting your abs, but its getting the entire core region, chest, abs, butt, lower back and upper back.  Most of all, you're pushing that butt out because it's about to get really good.  You see the trip down, that's only half of the magic.  The best part is next.

So, you've engaged the weight, and you've pushed your ass out and brought the weight down.  So, what's next?  Well, put the kiddies to bed and, for those of you with more delicate sensibilities you may want to stop reading, because it's time to fuck.  I'm not using that word lightly.  You're not making love here.  This is not the time to love and caress.  It's time to jam it in as hard as you can.  I'm not kidding.  That butt you pushed out to come down, you're going to take it and slam it as hard as you can forward.  Drive through your heels and pushing up and forward with your ass, your core, your upper body as hard as you possibly can.  Tell me that same motion doesn't bring back some dirty memories.

Seriously though, this is called hip drive and it's the same motion you use when you have hard sex.  This is exactly what you want.  Unfortunately, it's not going to make you any better in the bedroom.  However, squats and hip drive do a multitude of things for your strength, endurance and power.  Hip drive is going to make you more explosive and more powerful.  This is  where we have to separate the benefits between the boys and the girls.

First, guys,  we're stupid.  A friend of mine was bragging to me about how strong he was getting and how he had just benched 225 for the first time.  I told him, "That's great.  How much do you squat?"  His answer, as is typical of most meatheads, "Ummm... yeah... I don't really work my legs."  If you're one of these guys you're killing your gains.  Working your legs releases hormones that are going to help your body grow.  Working squats in particular are going to strengthen your core which is where all the strength and stability in your body comes from.  The stronger and more stabile your core is, the more weight you can lift.  The more weight you can lift, the stronger your body is going to be.

For the girls, I always hear the same thing when I talk about this.  I don't want to squat because I don't want my legs to be big and bulky.  My answer to that, go watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh5w8_U0Lj0  Go ahead.  I'll wait.  Ok.  Are you back?  Good!  That's Erin Stern.  She's a fitness model champion.  Does she have big bulky legs?  Is she squatting some pretty serious weight?  Building muscle mass is hard as hell.  To gain muscle mass you need to eat ungodly amounts of good calories and protein.  You're not going to get big bulky legs by squatting with real weight.  What you will get?  A sleek sexy core, strong sculpted legs and a magnificent ass of steel.

So, now that we're all back together, how does that help everything else?  I'm glad you asked.  The stronger your core is, the stronger the architecture is for your running.  Exercises like squats are going to allow you to stand straighter and better support your frame while you run.  Squats are going to make you faster because your legs will be stronger and you will be able to carry more weight for longer periods of time.  You will have increased endurance from the outstanding cardio workout you get from doing squats.  You'll jump higher, run faster and look better.  DO YOUR SQUATS!

Know Your Pain

My wife and I both suffered through slight injuries over the weekend.  Hers was more severe than mine, but neither injury was something to prevent us from training.  We are both becoming accustomed to training with hydration packs.  Mine had rubbed a small raw spot on my neck and caused some slight chaffing on my back.  My wife, on the other hand, had a patch of skin, the size of a half-dollar, rubbed off of the middle of her back.  She was smart enough to take off her pack and check the spot and stopped her run shortly thereafter.  I could have easily reduced my chaffing by stopping to adjust my straps, but I stubbornly trudged on and kept going.  That led me to a couple of conclusions:  #1 My wife is obviously a lot smarter than I am and #2 the topic for this week, knowing the difference between injury and soreness.

We all have a tendency to want to push through pain and an instinct that makes us want to keep going regardless of the amount of damage we are doing to ourselves.  What many of us have to learn is that pain is the body's natural mechanism for telling you not to do something or that what you're doing is wrong.  The other thing we have to learn is the difference between pain and soreness.  Pain is actually invaluable in the training process.

For example, shin splints and runner's knee are some of the more common injuries that new runners get when they start on their fitness journey.  Unfortunately, many of these new runners seek to "run through the pain" and one of three things happens: they seriously injure themselves, they modify their behavior to correct the pain, or they quit running and think "Awww.... running just isn't for me."

This is where knowing the difference between soreness and injury comes into play.  From my understanding, shin splints are actually caused by micro fractures in the bone.  This means your shin is literally broken.  This, if you haven't guessed, is an injury.  The pain you are feeling is not because you worked it too hard, but because you're hurt.  Things like this are not going to go away without finding the root of the cause.  For shin splints, there are many competing theories.  Personally, I think everyone has to find the right combination of shoe and training regimen that works for them.  For me, a combination of minimalist shoes, yoga, strength training and not running daily has drastically reduced my pain. 

Soreness on the other hand is something that you should welcome.  Soreness is a sign that you are working and that you are improving.  Soreness lets you know that your muscle fibers are tearing slightly and when they re-build they are re-building stronger and healthier.  You can train through soreness and you should actually strive to train through soreness.  Training while you are sore actually helps to alleviate the pain.  Again, the key is knowing the difference between the two types of pain and knowing if you can train. 

Knowing the difference between the two is really requires a certain tacit knowledge.  It's difficult to explain.  It requires you to know your body intimately and to know when something is wrong.  One key indicator of an injury is usually bone or joint pain, but that's not always the case.  It's important to come to understand how your body feels as you train and to understand that difference.  We all train for our own reasons, but I believe a common goal for all of us is general well being.  It's impossible to achieve that goal if you're constantly nursing injuries.  Train hard, train smart and have fun.

Show Me the Jiggle!

There was a time in my life where I would not be caught dead without a shirt on in any type of public situation.  It was a combination of factors really.  I was either too fat, too skinny, too pale or too freckly.  It was always something I avoided if at all possible.  I knew I would be mortified if someone made a comment or gave me an odd look.  It did not even matter what the comments were.  I knew they were thinking something cruel in their minds and, to a certain degree, that was even worse.  Your imagination always conjures up the worst possible things and I could only imagine what these people would think of me.

Something changed a little over a year ago.  I was in my second year of really getting serious about running.  I was setting goals and tracking my miles, but I did not really understand the importance of proper gear.  I was managing my aches and pains, learning how to pace myself, but damn if I could not figure out why my nipples felt like they were on fire every time I ran (I would later learn cotton + man boobies = chaffed nipples).  It's kind of funny in retrospect, but at the time it was agonizing.

Finally, on an awesome 70 degree spring day, I had decided I had enough.  I was about 2 miles into what turned into an 8 mile run and I felt like my nipples had been rubbed off my chest with sandpaper somewhere betwen the first and second mile.  At the start of mile 3, around the Lincoln Memorial I tore my shirt off.  It was incredible.  I didn't care.  I felt good.  I was still jiggly, I was still pale and freckly, but I felt liberated.  It just felt natural, like I should have done it years ago.  That feeling made up for any stupid remarks or looks that I got (there really weren't any).  This paralyzing fear that I had been experiencing for a good portion of my life was completely unfounded.

However, I felt so good that even if all of my worst fears had been realized, it would have been worth it.  Everytime I go out now, if it's warm enough, I run bare chested and to a certain degree, I still get that excitement, that rush, the feeling of freedom.  I've actually taken it a bit overboard now.  I never want to wear shirts anymore, not to run or to walk around the house.  Additionally, that jiggle I felt while "running naked" actually helped get me motivated to get into even better shape.  Over the last year, I've added definition and amazingly enough, even a little muscle mass.  That split second decision to remove my shirt was really a life altering experience.

Now, I'm sure there are those of you that are out there that are going to say, "Oh, I don't know about that, I've just got a little too much love around my midsection" or "Nobody wants to see what I have underneath this" and my answer is, who cares?  This the way your body was meant to be and this is the way your body's natural cooling mechanisms are built to function.  Forget about "wicking" t-shirts.  Sweat cools you down by evaporating from your skin and this function works even better without an artificial layer between you and the elements.  I even convinced my wife to shed the layers last night for her run this morning and I think I've made her a believer. 

I must caveat this to a certain degree.  I am not a woman and I can not fully comprehend the harassment that women experience when they run and I suspect that criticism is likely compounded when women "run naked."  With that being said, and I will close with this thought, you are out there exercising, transforming your body and improving your life, but what is the person harassing you doing?  They're probably some no-class, mouth-breathing, scumbag, lowlife who is doing nothing to better themselves.  Where will they be six months from now and where will you be?

It's Supposed To Be Fun...

When you get into a diet and exercise routine it's easy to lose sight of the whole reason that you may have started your regimen in the first place.  Many of us get into a fitness routine for litany of reasons: lose weight, gain muscle, extend your life, improve the quality of life, train for an event, etc.  However, its easy to get caught up in the moment and forget the real purpose of exercise.  It should be fun and it should make you feel good. 

At some point or another, all of us will have days where we suffer from a lack of motivation.  Days where our desire to hit the track, pick up the weights or do whatever, is near absolute nil.  This is a danger zone.  Once the motivation begins to wane, your desire to exercise goes down and once your desire begins to fade you'll find it easier and easier to make excuses not to do it.  It's easy to say, "Oh I ran twice this week, I can take a day off" or "I lifted Monday and Tuesday, do I really need to lift today?"  This is the point where its easy to fall out of your routine, especially in the beginning.  This is where it's up to you to be creative.  You need to find a way to make it fun or better yet, figure out ways to keep it fun so you don't get to this point in the first place. 

For example, I'm not a huge fan of running and it's often difficult to find the motivation to get out there and do my roadwork.  So, I have to find things that make me want to go out and hit the pavement.  I have a ton of little tricks to spike my motivation.  I'll download a new song that I want to add to my playlist.  I'll watch a movie that inspires me (almost anything with Stallone does it for me).  I'll change my route.  I'll change the way I train.  I watch videos on youtube of people that inspire me (all I have to do is watch one video of Miguel Cotto training and I'm out the door).

If I get out there and I find I'm still lacking, I do things to make it fun.  I'll shadow box and throw some punches while I'm running.  I'll put on my music from "The Crow" soundtrack and I'll pretend I'm Brandon Lee jumping across rooftops and I'll leap from side to side (this is also good for conditioning anyway).  I've run up the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial and acted out the stair scene from Rocky.  I'll put on music from the Avengers and pretend I'm Iron Man shooting aliens with my repulsors.  I'll have a good laugh at how stupid I probably look to the average observer, but I've accomplished my mission.  I'm smiling, I'm having fun and before I know it, I'm through my miles.

If none of that works, do something different.  The farther it is from what you normally do, the better.  If you're a runner, do some body weight exercises like burpies, squats, planks, and push-ups.  If you're a lifter, go for a run or do a high intensity interval training class.  Go jump rope, take a yoga class, ride a bike, take a walk in the forest preserve, just do something.  Get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, but have fun.  Exercise should be fun, whether it's getting up that hill you never made it up before or knocking out that extra rep on your bench that you failed to get last time.

Which brings me to the other half of the equation: Diet.  First and foremost, a diet is not something you go on or go off.  Your diet is what you consume everyday.  It's the lifestyle you lead.  If you're going to go lowfat, that's what you're diet is.  It doesn't mean in six weeks you get to start eating shit again.  If you're going low carb, guess what?  In two months you don't get to start eating pasta and rice every day.  Now, don't get me wrong, it's ok to cheat.  I cheat all the time.  In fact, I cheat almost daily.  Hell, I just got done eating a bowl of Doritos and I had half a piece of German chocolate cake earlier.  And you know what?  They were fucking delicious.  I ate the shit out of those motherfuckers and I'm not even sorry about it. 

Do you know why I'm cool with that?  It's because I'm not going to eat that stuff everyday and when I do, I know I have to compensate for it some place else.  A slice of German chocolate cake means an extra mile tomorrow and it means no peanut butter in my protein shakes.  It's ok to cheat.  It really is.  The idea you have to remember is to monitor your calorie consumption and what you're eating in general.  The basic formula to remember is that you get 10 calories for every lb of your ideal body weight.  If you want to weigh 150 lbs, you get 1500 calories.  However, don't get pissed at yourself for drinking that Mocha Cookie Crumble from Starbucks (especially when you consider that they're fucking incredible), drink that shit up and love it, but make it a tall or go for skim milk and compensate for it some place else.  It's not too difficult.  I'm won't push a particular diet because everybody has their own beliefs, but if you're going to choose a diet make sure it's healthy, it's realistic and that it's something you can see yourself doing, well, forever.